Glee club elite host first full-length show

Arranged in an arc at the front of Heinz Chapel, the 12 men of Pantherhythms stood in full tuxedos singing a range of music, from the Alma Mater to an Eric Clapton single.

The Pantherhythms, a subset of the Pitt Men’s Glee Club, performed their first full-length concert Sunday, Nov. 1. The group used to exist to do mainly smaller events, such as Chancellor’s Circle events before football games and even at weddings in Heinz chapel. Now the group is rebranded itself as the stand-out stars from the Glee Club. They hope to do an annual full-length concert and possibly put out a CD this year.

Of the 65 members of the Glee Club, anyone may audition for Pantherhythms, and Director Richard Teaster, a professor in Pitt’s music department, chooses 12 singers, three tenor I, three tenor II, three baritone and three bass. The group initially formed in the ’90s but it disbanded until 2005. Previously the group only performed small sets at events or as a part of the Pitt Men’s Glee Club concert.

According to Rishi Gupta, a member of the group, Teaster decided this year that the men of Pantherrhytms were ready to perform a concert, a milestone Teaster had been working toward since he began directing the group.

Teaster has been the director of the Pitt Men’s Glee Club since 1999, but in 2007 he decided to direct the Pantherhythms to bring their performance to a higher caliber. He chooses music from the Renaissance time period, jazz music and barbershop-style pieces for the group as opposed to pop music many a cappella groups sing. He said the a cappella group can do more involved pieces and a wider variety of music because of its small size.

“What makes Pantherhythms different is basically the repertoire,” Teaster said. “We rarely have beatboxing. It’s more about close harmony a cappella music, and the repertoire we do ranges. We do things from the 1930s and ’40s, most of our popular music is up through the mid ’90s. It’s because we are also trying to appeal to a larger adult audience than just the student population.”

At 3 p.m. Sunday, the 12 voices of Pantherhythms filled Heinz Chapel singing Pitt’s Alma Mater, before moving on to songs like “Change the World” by Eric Clapton, “And So it Goes” by Billy Joel and “Ubi Caritas” by Gjeilo.

Ian Bricker, president of Pantherhythms, said the close instructional attention he gets in the smaller group has helped him grow as a singer.

“Since it’s a smaller group you get to learn more, you’re forced to blend more, and you have to listen across the group a lot more,” Bricker, a senior microbiology major, said. “Plus, Richard’s expertise is voice, and you get to work with him a lot more closely. You learn about yourself and benefit as a musician.”

Sophomore history and philosophy of science major Rishi Gupta also benefits from Teaster’s mentorship. Gupta started with Pantherhythms this year, as it is very rare for freshmen to be admitted to the group, according to Teaster. He said more experinced singers usually fill the spots. For Gupta, the expertise and leadership that Teaster brings to the group sets the Glee Club apart from other student-led a cappella groups on campus.

“Having an instructor makes it different because he’s able to teach us things that we wouldn’t get if the group was student-led,” Gupta said. “Richard is very demanding as an instructor, but he makes his expectations clear. People in Pantherhythms tend to have better technique, but even so, he doesn’t treat us as if we know what we’re doing and don’t need any help.”

The event the Pantherhythms performed on Nov. 1 is one of many performances that Heinz Chapel will host this fall, including the University of Pittsburgh Carpathian Music Ensemble on Nov. 8 and the Heinz Chapel Choir Campus Concert on Dec. 3.

Senior accounting and international business major Jen Henschel beamed when she saw the Pantherhythms’ performance.

“I think it was great,” Henschel said. “All of the groups on campus work really hard but these guys work especially hard because they have Pitt Men’s Glee Club and this practice. The mix of the stuff they do is really impressive, it shows such a range. And it’s great exposure for the start of the semester.”